Sheath for umbrella

ABSTRACT

A sheath made up of a plurality of stiff panels separated by fold lines coincident with the outline of a collapsed flat umbrella wherein the sheath is wrapped around the flat umbrella. Fastening snaps are provided at both longitudinal ends of the sheath for securing the folded sheath about the umbrella, and partially closing the open ends of the sheath so formed.

United States Patent 1 1 Hoiimann 1451 July 29,1975

1 1 SHEATH FOR UMBRELLA [75] lnventor:

[22] Filed: Sept. 26, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 292,347

Hans Hoffmann, Essen, Germany [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 29, 1971 Germany 2148472 [52] US. Cl 150/52 R; 150/43; 150/34 [51] Int. Cl. B65B 11/00 [58] Field of Search 150/52 R, 34, 28, 42, 43, 150/44, 45, 46, 21, 17, 7; 224/5, 5.1, 26, .5

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,172,204 2/1916 Gerhardstein 150/52 R 1,217,357 2/1917 Sparrow 150/52 R 1,736,383 11/1929 Waggoner 150/52 R 1,996,653 4/1935 Rodgers 150/52 R 2,169,834 8/1939. Englert 150/52 R 2,845,976 3/1958 Miller 3,294,272 12/ l 966 Nagler 3,314,464 4/1967 Veilleux 150/52 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 589,279 9/1924 France 150/52 R 21,715 10/1896 United Kingdom.... 150/52 R 10,706 5/1911 United Kingdom 224/5 A Primary ExaminerWilliam T. Dixson, Jr. Assistant Examiner Ro E. Hart Attorney, Agent, or FirmRobert E. Mitchell; Alan Swabey 5 7 ABSTRACT A sheath made up of a plurality of stiff panels separated by fold lines coincident with the outline of a collapsed flat umbrella wherein the sheath is wrapped around the flat umbrella. Fastening snaps are provided at both longitudinal ends of the sheath for securing the folded sheath about the umbrella, and partially closing the open ends of the sheath so formed.

2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTED JUL 2 9 I975 SHEET 1. M m F M l Q PATENTED JUL 2 91975 SHEET SHEATH FOR UMBRELLA BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 1. Field of Invention The present invention relates to a sheath for an um-.

brella.

2. Description of Prior Art Most umbrella sheaths developed to date include an elongated envelope adapted to tightly fit over a properly collapsed and folded umbrella. The elongated envelope is usually provided with an open end through which the umbrella must be passed in order to fit into the envelope shaped sheath. The other end of the sheath is usually sealed closed. However, practically speaking the canopy material of an umbrella when it is collapsed, is not always properly folded or furled around the frame and when inserting the umbrella into the conventional sheath, the umbrella canopy material may be torn or at least subjected to considerable wear. Furthermore, if the umbrella canopy material isnt properly folded, the sheath may be stressed particularly in the area of the open end which may lead to the sheath being torn in this highly stressed area.

Further if the empty sheath is made of suitably rigid material, the sheath would take up a disproportionate amount of room to be stored when it is not in use.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION An aim in accordance with the present invention is to provide an umbrella sheath in which the umbrella can easily be inserted or removed whether the umbrella is properly folded or not, with minimum wear and tear to the umbrella canopy material or to the sheath itself.

It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a sheath which can be compactly folded when not in use.

A sheath in accordance with the present invention includes a single blank having a longitudinal length substantially the same as the length of a folded and collapsed umbrella and having a width at least equal to the periphery of the closed, collapsed umbrella. The blank of material including means allowing the blank to be wrapped around a folded collapsed umbrella and means partially blocking each end of the so formed sheath and means for fastening the sheath in position about the umbrella.

In a preferred embodiment, the umbrella is of the flat type having a generally rectangular outline in crosssection when folded and collapsed and the blank includes a plurality of longitudinally extending rigid panels separated by fold lines, coinciding with the shape of the collapsed flat umbrella such that the wrapped around sheath includes opposed flat wide side panels and opposed narrow side panels and at least one overlapping panel from the edge of the blank and fastening tabs are provided at each end of one of the wide side panels adapted to fold over the so formed open ends of the sheath and be fastened to opposite wide side panel.

IN THE DRAWINGS Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, particular reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration, a preferred embodiment thereof and in which:

FIG. I is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the sheath folded about the collapsed flat umbrella.

FIG. 2=is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 showing a second embodiment of the sheath.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a folded flat umbrella in position on an open blank forming the sheath.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section taken along lines lV--IV of FIG. 3.

Referring now'to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 3, a blank 2 is shown in FIG. 3 in which an umbrella 1 has been placed. The blank 2 includes a plurality of longitudinally extending rectangular panels i.e., six, separated by fold lines 6 which coincide with the edges of the flat umbrella 1. Each panel of blank 2 includes a pair of spaced-apart layers 3 and 4 of plastic material which sandwich suitable padding material 5 and which are heat sealed together to form the fold lines 6 as shown in FIG. 4. The panels so formed include narrow side panels 7, 8 and 9 as well as wide side panels 10, 11 and 12. Folding the blank 2 about the umbrella, the panels 10 and 11 coincide with the wider sides of the folded flat umbrella 1 while the narrow side panels 7 and 8 coincide with the narrow edges of the folded umbrella. The panels 12 and 9 are inserted underneath the panels 10 and 7 so that the panel 10 overlaps the panel 12 and panel 9 underlaps panel 7; in this manner the juxtaposed panels 7, 9 and l2, l0 reinforce and maintain the rectangular cross-section of the tubular sheath formed by the rectangular panels as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, Male snap fastening parts 15 are provided on the panel 10.

Closure tabs 13 are arranged at the ends of the wide side panels 11 and each include a female snap fastening part 14 adapted to engage the male fastening part 15 provided on the panel 10. In this way the tabs 13 serve two functions, that is of closing off the open ends of the sheath so formed and also retaining the umbrella sheath in its folded carrying condition. In a preferred embodiment, the ends 21 of the tabs 13 are curled upwardly so as to provide easier access to the tabs when opening the umbrella sheath.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 includes further tabs 19 extending from the longitudinal edge 18 of the panel 10 which include snap fastening devices 20 adapted to engage female snap fastening devices on the panel 8 and to further secure the umbrella in a closed position. In the embodiment in FIG. 2, it can be seen that the sheath can be used as a conventional sheath, that is by merely detaching one of the tabs 13, the umbrella can be pulled out lengthwise of the sheath.

I claim:

1. A wrap-around, umbrella sheath in combination with a fold-able-flat collapsed umbrella, said sheath comprising a single, rectangular blank having a length and width, a plurality of linear hinge portions extending the length of said blank and defining six adjacent rectangular panels therealong, detachable fastening means on said blank assembling and retaining said blank as a tubular sheath having a rectangular cross-section in circumposed relation about the collapsed umbrella with at least two of the six panels respectively in juxtaposed relation with two others of the panels for rigidifying and substantially maintaining the rectangular cross-Section of the sheath in wrapped relation about the collapsed, foldable-flat umbrella, said detachable fastening means for assembling said blank comprising strap elements anchored at one end to respective opposite ends of the sheath and extending transversely across open ends of the rectangular sheath retaining the collapsed umbrella of the detachable fastening means straps and the inner surface of one panel of the rectangular sheath.

2. The sheath as claimed in claim 1 in which said detachable fastening means on said blank for assembling said blank comprises auxiliary strap means overlapping a marginal edge and an adjacent panel at one side of the rectangular sheath. 

1. A wrap-around, umbrella sheath in combination with a foldable-flat collapsed umbrella, said sheath comprising a single, rectangular blank having a length and width, a plurality of linear hinge portions extending the length of said blank and defining six adjacent rectangular panels therealong, detachable fastening means on said blank assembling and retaining said blank as a tubular sheath having a rectangular cross-section in circumposed relation about the collapsed umbrella with at least two of the six panels respectively in juxtaposed relation with two others of the panels for rigidifying and substantially maintaining the rectangular cross-Section of the sheath in wrapped relation about the collapsed, foldable-flat umbrella, said detachable fastening means for assembling said blank comprising strap elements anchored at one end to respective opposite ends of the sheath and extending transversely across open ends of the rectangular sheath retaining the collapsed umbrella therein and including means detachably connecting the straps to an opposite side of the rectangular sheath, the straps preventing the folded umbrella from movement out of the rectangular sheath and retaining the folded sheath in a rigid, rectangular asSembled relation, said strap elements being narrower in width than the open ends of the rectangular sheath and exposing the ends of the collapsed umbrella, said umbrella including a carrying-strap projecting from and accessible between one of the detachable fastening means straps and the inner surface of one panel of the rectangular sheath.
 2. The sheath as claimed in claim 1 in which said detachable fastening means on said blank for assembling said blank comprises auxiliary strap means overlapping a marginal edge and an adjacent panel at one side of the rectangular sheath. 